Jessica Gorman & My Disgust for Congress

 https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mother-sheridan-gorman-loyola-student-shot-killed-testifies-capitol-hill/

The Living Years by Mike & the Mechanics is Relevant in Contentious 2026

This morning I was  reading an article in The Washington Post, a once great newspaper that has devolved into a shadow of its former self. There was an article about the singer, Lee Greenwood, who (depending on your political affiliation or taste in music) has become a divisive figure during the Trump presidencies for performing his anthem, God Bless The USA. Commenters on the article were mean spirited, degrading, and hiding behind anonymity. 

The WaPo readers, at least the trolls who comment on articles, uniformly hate those who tilt towards moderate, conservative or libertarian views. I’ve no doubt many of these posters have cut off family members, former friends and colleagues that disagree with them. They celebrate the celebrities who refuse to celebrate our 250th birthday. 

I’m sure there have been situations over the years of our Republic when entertainers declined to perform at certain events because of their ideology. However, in my lifetime, I’ve never experienced such vitriolic rhetoric by performers who have refused to appear for the American public because they hate a particular president. Additionally, their supporters denigrate entertainers that agree to perform at those boycotted events.

July 4, 2026 is the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of the documents that serves as a bedrock of our national identity. It is antithetical to my beliefs as an American citizen that any entertainers would refuse to participate in the celebration of the 250th commemoration of our great nation because of politics. Frankly, it is childish behavior. One must wonder how future historians will view this period. Will our future generations recall who helped the Nation celebrate? Or will school children read about the resisters?  

Will some of the malcontents eventually regret their recalcitrance? How does this topic have any relevance to The Living Years, a ballad released in 1988 by Mike & the Mechanics? To me, the song is about regret involving schisms that ultimately do not matter. Perhaps my interpretation is incorrect; however, this is how I read it.

I listened closely to the lyrics as this song popped up on my 80’s playlist:

    “Every generation blames the one before;  and all of their frustrations come knocking on your door.

    I know that I’m a prisoner of all my father held so dear; I know  that I’m a hostage to all his hopes and fears. I just wish I could have told him in the living years.

    Oh, crumpled bits of paper filled with imperfect thought; stilted conversations, I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got.

    You say you just don’t see it; he says it’s perfect sense. You just can’t get agreement in the present tense. 

    We all talk a different language, talking in defense. 

    So we open up a quarrel between the present and the past; we only sacrifice the future. It’s the bitterness that lasts.

    So don’t yield to the fortunes you sometimes see as fate; it may have a new perspective, on a different date. And if you don’t give up And don’t give in, you just might be OK. 

    I wasn’t there that morning when my father passed away. I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say.

    Think I caught his spirit later that same year. I’m sure I heard his echo in my  baby’s newborn tears. 

    I just wish I could have told him in the living years.” 

Let us put aside our differences and reconcile during the living years. 

Namaste 🙏🏻

Celebrating the American Experience at 250🇺🇸

 

In  1976 I celebrated the American Bicentennial. All of America engaged in the celebration. The fact that certain segments of our society refuse to acknowledge the  trajectory of our political experiment dumbfounds me.

I can only deduce that those who protest our way of life have no experience truly understanding the alternative options.

Anyone who suggests that socialism or communism offers reasonable alternatives has not studied history. It doesn’t work. It has never worked. Those refusing to understand the beauty of Capitalism have, no doubt, lived in the ivory towers of academia or enclaves that have not embraced the opportunities offered by Capitalism. 

The American experience is unique. We are not a people that will succumb to oppression or the concept of taking from those who toil to succeed and giving to those who contribute nothing to society. 

At Jamestown, Captain John Smith subscribed to the proposition that those who do not work, should not eat. That is how my parents raised me. Be a good citizen. Honor the flag. Work and pay your own way. Do not expect the taxpayers to fund your life.

I believe in this great American experiment and subscribe to the concept that every citizen has a responsibility to contribute to our collective wellbeing by exercising the right to vote, supporting our communities, following our laws, and fomenting change through participation in government at the grassroots level. 

The Serenity Sitting Beside Our Koi Pond

I’ve always dreamed of owning waterfront property. The sound of waves, the mesmerizing peace of a waterfall, the aroma of salt laced air, or the calmness that envelops me when I silently watch the movements of aquatic creatures fills me with the ability to just be, in the moment. 

Alas, beachfront, lakefront, riverfront or babbling mountain brook property has not yet materialized- primarily because of life choices we have made based. 

Of few years ago, we seriously considered selling our moonscape property on a shale ridge at the edge of the Shenandoah Valley. Then during Covid we power washed our deck, looked around, and decided it made sense to enter the next stage of our lives where we are and create our own spot of paradise. That vision included building a koi pond with a waterfall.

We started looking for contractors to implement our vision (well- mine anyway). Todd found a fabulous resource and forwarded it to me: https://aquaticcreationsnva.com/ 

I immediately reached out to Noah Manuel, Owner & Certified Master Contractor  of Aquatic Creations of  Northern Virginia. We met. He surveyed the property, discussed my vision and budget, created a design that beautified our landscape using Virginia boulders and incorporating a few aquatic plants, and ensured the pond was finished by my 65th birthday. 

Our final step: the addition of 5 koi from https://nextdaykoi.com/. Yes, there is actual a resource to purchase koi by overnight shipping! 

Almost immediately, one of the koi swam into the skimmer and met an untimely end. Noah cautioned that koi are not known for their cognitive abilities. So, I ventured to the now closed Lily Pons Water  Gardens outside Frederick, Maryland and collected an additional 3 koi, anticipating a few more losses. So far, we’ve been fortunate. The Blue Heron and Owl decoys appear to be keeping predators away. 

This is a work in progress; but I have to confess installing this pond is the best thing I’ve done for my mental and emotional health in decades. Filled with gratitude for my 10 foot beachfront in the back yard.